U.N. Names Iraq Envoy

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named Ramiro Lopes da Silva, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, to be his interim special representative to the country, diplomats said Friday.

Lopes da Silva, who is Portuguese, succeeds Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was killed in Tuesday’s truck bombing at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad.

“I have, on an interim basis, appointed Mr. Ramiro Lopes da Silva as my acting special representative,” Annan said in a letter to the U.N. Security Council.

Lopes da Silva, 54, was slightly injured in the blast. He has been working for the United Nations since 1985, specializing in humanitarian operations.

Before joining the world body’s Iraq program in May 2002, he worked in Rome, Angola and Afghanistan.